After watching him play Saturday against Central Michigan, you’d think sophomore running back Arby Fields was stuck in baseball mode.
Fields, also a center fielder on the baseball team, looked like he was trying to hit a home run each time junior quarterback Dan Persa handed him the football.
Too bad Fields swung and missed every time, amassing only 16 yards on seven carries. He also fumbled on his second and last carry of the second half with Northwestern driving and ready to close out the game, already leading 30-13.
Central Michigan put up 12 unanswered points after Fields’ miscue. Rather than notching an easy blowout win, the Wildcats escaped disaster with a 30-25 victory.
It’s no secret that coach Pat Fitzgerald has yet to solve the riddle that is NU’s rush attack, a problem that has carried over from the 2009 season. Five players have received carries, amassing 415 yards in their first four games for a measly 3.3 yards per carry.
Two weeks after his 96-yard performance against Illinois State, it was Fields’ turn in the doghouse Saturday.
“I’m sure he’s disappointed in himself,” Fitzgerald said. “I would be too if I were him.”
Still, Fitzgerald wasn’t quite ready to throw him under the proverbial bus. Fields is a sophomore, and not everyone can burst out of the gates of their college career like former running back Tyrell Sutton.
“It’s going to be a challenge to his attitude,” he said. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him. He’s just got to believe in himself.”
This isn’t a one-man blame game. Fields’ might be the face of the rushing struggles, but no one else has taken the reins. The fact that Persa leads the team in rushing isn’t exactly a good sign.
The play calling isn’t helping matters either. With Persa, coaches have tailored the offense to match his strengths, allowing him to scramble around and do his best Steve Young impression. They should do the same with the team’s five options at running back – build around their strengths.
Simply put, NU’s backs don’t have explosive speed. Why, then, would the Cats coaching staff choose to run to the outside so often?
Many of Fields’ attempts went outside the tackles, including his key fourth quarter fumble. On the other hand, the inside rushing attack worked well at times, with junior Jacob Schmidt and redshirt freshman Mike Trumpy breaking off decent-sized runs.
Yes, offenses have to keep defenses honest and mix up the play calling. Yes, Central Michigan’s front seven looked impressive on Saturday. But if NU’s backs can’t run against a Mid-American Conference defense, do they think that will change against Big Ten talent like Michigan State and Iowa?
After NU’s win against Illinois State, Fitzgerald acknowledged that the running backs must recognize the quickness of the college game, and that coaches must call the right plays.
NU doesn’t need its running backs to be home run hitters - they’ve got Persa to do that.
Sports editor Andrew Scoggin is a Medill senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
